A FORMER government worker has delivered a scathing assessment of the “scant regard” paid to koalas during the assessment of Shenhua Watermark’s proposed $1.2 billion coal mine on the Liverpool Plains.
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Wildlife scientist David Paull, who resigned in disgust from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) last year, said assessors had essentially “completely ignored” the mine’s impact on the animals.
Shenhua plans to progressively clear about 850 hectares of prime habitat over 30 years, disturbing an estimated 262 koalas, to make way for its controversial open-cut mine at Breeza, south of Gunnedah.
According to Shenhua’s koala management plan, those koalas comprise about 2 per cent of the Gunnedah region’s total population, however, the Australia Koala Foundation argues the figure could be as high as 33 per cent.
Mr Paull said neither the state government nor the independent Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) in approving the mine had conducted suitably rigorous appraisals of the adequacy of Shenhua’s plan to mitigate the effect on the iconic animals.
“The PAC completely ignored it and I think there’s a case to say that the Department of Planning, when they approved it, they also didn’t adequately consider the impact on the koala,” he said.
“The koala was essentially overlooked in the assessment. For the koala, they just seemed to think they could make up some sort of site management plan for them and everything will be all right.”
Shenhua plans to revegetate 4400 hectares of preferred koala habitat, maintain and enhance habitat corridors to encourage koalas to migrate away from the mine and translocate any animals that do not move on.
However, Mr Paull – who upon his resignation from OEH said the environment was playing “second fiddle to ensuring that any mine or gas development proceeded” – said koala translocation programs in other states had failed dismally.
“The areas around there are already occupied by koalas and the other area they recommend as a translocation site, Tambar Springs, I went and had a look myself and it was my view it was unsuitable,” he said.
“You can’t just plant trees and expect that to replace the habitat you remove. They can’t survive in just a plantation and anyone who says so is being absolutely ridiculous.”
The Upper Mooki Landcare group has engaged the NSW Environment Defenders Office to launch a judicial review of the PAC’s approval of the project, arguing the impact on the region’s fragile koala population was not properly considered.
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt is due to make his decision on whether the mine, which Shenhua says will create up to 1200 jobs and generate $1.5 billion in royalties, can proceed by July 9.